NASCAR Cup Series teams close out the regular season on Sunday night with the Southern 500, a crown jewel race.
This event marks the 127th time Cup teams have competed at Darlington Raceway dating back to Johnny Mantz's win in 1950. Brad Keselowski won this season's spring race at the 1.366-mile track while Kyle Larson won last season's Southern 500.
Three spots remain in the 16-driver playoff field. At least two drivers will point their way into the postseason. Three will do so if there is not a new winner.
Southern 500 race information
Weather: The WeatherUnderground forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with possible stray showers and thunderstorms. A high of 90 degrees and a 15% chance of rain at the start of the Cup race.
Green flag time: The command to fire engines will be at 5:55 p.m. ET. The green flag will wave at 6:05 p.m. ET.
Starting lineup: Darlington starting lineup
Pre-race: Driver introductions will take place at 5:15 p.m. ET. Pre-race coverage begins with "Countdown to Green" on USA Network at 5:30 p.m. ET. Race coverage continues on USA Network at 6 p.m. ET. Dale Jarrett will take Cale Yarborough's No. 11 Oldsmobile for a ceremonial lap at 5:50 p.m. ET.
Stages: The race will consist of three stages. The first stage ends at Lap 115. The second stage ends at Lap 230. The scheduled end of the race is Lap 367.
Playoff picture: Harrison Burton won his way into the playoffs last weekend at Daytona International Speedway and shifted the cutline in the process. He is the 13th driver to lock up a spot in the 16-driver field with a win.
Burton joins Larson (four wins), Denny Hamlin (three wins), Christopher Bell (three wins), William Byron (three wins), Tyler Reddick (two wins), Ryan Blaney (two wins), Keselowski (one win), Joey Logano (one win), Austin Cindric (one win), Chase Elliott (one win), Daniel Suarez (one win), and Alex Bowman (one win).
Martin Truex Jr. remains in the best position among drivers seeking their first win this season. He is 58 points above the cutline. Ty Gibbs is 39 points above the cutline. Chris Buescher is the last driver currently in a playoff spot at plus-21.
Bubba Wallace is the first driver outside of a playoff spot. He is 21 points behind Buescher. Ross Chastain is 27 points below the cutline while Kyle Busch is 106 points below.
Past winners: Several drivers have won Cup Series races at Darlington Raceway. Hamlin has four wins at the South Carolina track while Erik Jones, Keselowski, and Truex all have two wins each. Byron, Busch, Larson, and Logano each have one win at Darlington.